Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-02

10 the % years before 1860, or almost any
/ otner series OF % years. as to the % wears
/ thereafter,
,Protection on steel rails, according to
MaJ' Hanson, "has done more to develop
'hls country than almost any other
cause. when this protection began steel
rails were worth $119 ton, and in twelve
years they fell to $27." Mai. Hanson
must be perfectly well aware that this
great reduction in the price OF steel raIls
ls due to the invention of Sir Henry
bessemer, perfected by our lately de-
ceased countryman, Alexander Lyman
holiey, who reduced the cost of
steel rails almost to an equality
with iron rails. When steel rails were at
their highest price the import duty per
TON OF 2,24O pounds, weighing over twenty
i've pounds to The yard, was $2S. II pro-
tectlon reduced the price OF steel rails to
Sz' Tor 900 as they now are of course
sucn reduction ought to be confined tn
protective countries, so that low tariff
countries find it Impossible TO monufac-
lure steel rails at any such reduced cost
lhey are so low in England, however,
that the last Republican Congress fixed
tne duty at $l7 ton, an ad valorem rate
higher twice over than 1t had been before,
Great as has been the reduction here. it
mas been still greater in England, to
which country the whole world is in
oeOted Tor TINS most important and beneti-
cial invention of the age.
MAJ. Hanson has never "heard of
free trader who had started an iron fur.
mace, developed coal mine, or built
cotton factory" Sam Weller said once
that his ''vlslon was limited" 1t certain
~ was expansive compared with that of
Maj. Hanson. From 1850 to 1860, in
what Maj. Hanson would call the 'sfree
trade PERIOD" capital invested in manu-
featuring establishments in the United
states increased from 1888. 245, 561
to $1,OO9, 800, 715, or nearly 80 per
cent.-a higher rate of increase
than during any preceding or sue.
ceeding decade. Some of these invest
ments must have been in Iron furnaces,
coal mines and cotton factories, and pre-
sumably all of them were not made bv
protectionists of the Hanson pattern. In
l84O, to go back to the protection period,
the exports from Great Britain Of British
and irish produce and manufactures were
valued at $500 600, coo. In 1888 they had
Increased in value to $1,000, 100000. In
lS40 the British tariff was levied on l 200
articles; in 1883 on about 20.
In 1856 the estimated value at the place
OF production in the United Kingdom of
coal, pig iron, fine copper, metallic lead,
white tin, zinc, silver, gold and all other
metals was $3.50, 900. In 1881 it was
$440,OeO,O0O. 1t is evident that in Great
Britain, at least, some tree traders occa-
slonally "start an iron furnace" and ''de-
velop coal mine" According to Mr..
Robert Z. Porter, considered a good protec-
Zionist authority, the number of cotton
spindles In the world is about 70, 1000, 900,
of which 40,000,000 are IL Great Britain.
and there are 100000 cotton operatives,
of whom 100000 are IN Great Britain. 1t
appears, therefore, that In addition to his
other enterprises once in a while a Brit
1sh free trader "builds cotton factory"
Says Maj. Hanson further: 'tThe ONLY
people whom tue tariff hurts are the gen
tlemen who wear French diagonals, drink
French brandies and smoke imported
cigars" If the gentleman from Macon
had just LEFT off camping the brandy aud
cigars he might perhaps he excused for
making so outrageous a mistake. Here
Is an illustration as to 'diagouals? West
of England broadcloth worth at the fac
tory So so yard, pays duty OF 50.3 per
cent. Cotton warp reversible cloth, made
in imitation of a better kind, such
as poorer people wear, worth at the fac
tory 45c. yard, pays duty of 1907 per
cent. This is a fair sample of the dis
elimination in favor of the rich and
against the poor under the present tariff
Cotton cloth, less than Ice. yard. paws
51.S4 per cent. duty; over loo. 40 per cent.
duty; earthenware and plain white china
pay DO per cent. windowglass from
% to 81 per cent; cotton ties 80
per cent; tin plates, so per cent;
pig iron, 90 per cent; cutlery, 80 per
cent; pig and bar lead, 80 per cent
cleaned rice, LOG per cent; all silk manu-
features, so per cent; sugar, Taper cent.
wood, from 10 to % per cent: clothing
and combing woods, As per cent; carpets,
from 40 to So per cent; cloaks, clothing,
flannels, dress goods, knit goods, shawls,
wool hats and all manufactures OF wool,
from 56 to 80 per cent; bituminOus coal,
Toe. a ton; all manufactures of iron and
steel, nails, nuts, bolts, chains, screws,
spikes, beams, fence wire rods, files, ham
mers, hinges, hoops, saws, ETC., from so
to nearly 60 per cent; salt, in bulk, IS
per cent.
Instead of the tariff affecting only the
class whose dollars enable them to in
vest in French diagOnals, French bran
dies and foreign cigars, it lays its heavy
burden on almost everything which af-
fords shelter, food and clothing 10 the
masses OF tho people. The Democratic
platform OF 1876 ttly characterized it as
''masterpiece of injustice, inequality
and falee pretense."
Maj. Hanson has something to say
about the surplus. There is much talk
about a surplus in the Treasury. We
never had a surplus under free-trade
administration. This is true, and NAV
the people forever bless the Democratic
party for it. Never before in the history
of these United States has a great or
ganiZation, like the Repu blican party,
not only upheld a set or revenue laws,
which annually draw from the pockets
OF the people moro than hundred
millions of dollars in excess of the Ordi- |
nary expenses of the government, but |
actually claimed credit for the spoliation |
which scarcely falls short of crime. |
Unnecessary taxation "is unjust taxa |
ton. All taxation shall be |
limited to the requirements of economical |
says the Democratic plat |
form, to the contrary Maj. Hanson.
If there should still be a surplus after
aboltshing the internal revenue system,
Maj. Hanson says ''we should still main
tai n protective duties, and if a surplus
should again accumulate 1t should be
divided between the States to tighten the
burdens OF taxation on the people," This
is q statesman's proposition, truly-first
secure surplus by taxation and then
divide the surplus among the States to
tighten taxation. Did it never occur 10
Maj. Hanson that laws should be framed
30 as TO leave this surplus in the pockets
Of the people who earned and owned it, and